Researchers from TU/e have transmitted data between the TU/e campus and the High Tech Campus over a 4.6 km distance using infrared light. This happened at the astonishing rate of 5.7 terabits per second, the equivalent of streaming 1.9 million Netflix shows in HD simultaneously. This is the fastest wireless data transmission ever demonstrated over this big a distance in an urban setting.
The record-breaking connection was established between TU/e in the north and the High Tech Campus (HTC) in the south of Eindhoven using our advanced optical antennas.
The antennas transmit data through invisible infrared beams instead of cables or radio signals. This technique, known as free-space optical (FSO) communication, enables ultra-fast, interference-free data transmission.
"Infrared wireless communication combines the high data speeds known from optical fibers with the flexibility of wireless communication systems."
— Vincent van Vliet, PhD researcher
"We need new ways to meet the increasing demand for fast and reliable connectivity," says Vincent van Vliet, a TU/e PhD researcher involved in the project.
Breaking boundaries in wireless speed
"Infrared wireless communication combines the high data speeds known from optical fibers with the flexibility of wireless communication systems. By complementing existing wireless and fiber-optic technologies, we can build the densely interconnected networks required to bring high-speed data connectivity to every corner of the planet."
To achieve this breakthrough, the team used the Reid Photonloop testbed. TU/e has launched this permanent set-up to experiment with high-speed wireless communication. It uses cutting-edge technology that combines multiple wavelengths in a single transmission. This technique, commonly used in fiber optics, has now been successfully applied to transmit data with this high speed over this big a distance for the first time in urban wireless communication.
"Because the transmitted infrared light is highly focused, an almost unlimited number of communication links can exist side-by-side without interference, allowing wireless network capacity growth at an unprecedented scale," Van Vliet explains.
A permanent test facility for next-gen networks
One end of the Reid Photonloop is located on top of the Flux building of the TU/e campus, which houses the departments of Electrical Engineering and Applied Physics and Science Education.
The other end of the test bed, 4.6 kilometers away on the other side of the city of Eindhoven, sits at the top of building 37 at the High Tech Campus.
The findings were presented at the Optical Fiber Communications (OFC) Conference 2025 in San Francisco earlier this month.
Source: TU/e news
